PF Mamadou Diarra (Signed LOI on 11/14)

[aceboon]

So Diarra seems like Rock 2.0. Not exactly highly regarded, but will be effective as a rebounder/garbage man.

His biggest influence will be if he convinces Diallo to come.

Lubin wasn't an explosive leaper and had short arms(Diarra is the opposite), and there's at least 100 spots in the difference in their ranking. Not really sure how you can speak on his influence without having yet played a game but whatever.

 

[tcf15]

So Diarra seems like Rock 2.0. Not exactly highly regarded, but will be effective as a rebounder/garbage man.

His biggest influence will be if he convinces Diallo to come.

Very far from Rakim Lubin. Diarra is in the ESPN top 100. Lubin was nowhere even close to that. Diarra is composite top 150 while Lubin was composite top 300. Not a good comparison.

 

[BUHusky]

So Diarra seems like Rock 2.0. Not exactly highly regarded, but will be effective as a rebounder/garbage man.

His biggest influence will be if he convinces Diallo to come.

No offense to Lubin because I don't think he got much of a chance here, but if Diarra's Rock 2.o then that's a problem. Diarra is way more athletic and less strong than Lubin. Totally different players.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Lubin wasn't an explosive leaper and had short arms(Diarra is the opposite), and there's at least 100 spots in the difference in their ranking. Not really sure how you can speak on his influence without having yet played a game but whatever.

Runs the floor, more athletic, better motor, rebounder. Nothing against rock but they're different players and looks like diarra will develop into a very good player

 

[Stainmaster]

Diarra is only Rock 2.0 in the sense that he is literally the second 4-man that Ollie brought in while he was HC (Lubin being the first and Enoch having the size to potentially play some 5).

News flash: you don't have to be Diamond freaking Stone to be a good, well-regarded recruit.

 

[KembaStepback]

I think you guys are slightly missing my point. I agree Diarra is a better recruit. Im just saying neither was highly regarded, and both seem to have a niche getting on the glass and rebounding the basketball. They are both also "undersized" 4 men.

Obviously they're not the same exact player...sure Diarra is more bouncy with longer arms...but neither is stepping out to the 3 point line either

 

[KembaStepback]

Diarra is only Rock 2.0 in the sense that he is literally the second 4-man that Ollie brought in while he was HC (Lubin being the first and Enoch having the size to potentially play some 5).

News flash: you don't have to be Diamond freaking Stone to be a good, well-regarded recruit.

Who said anything about him not being a good recruit?? I was a FAN of Rock's! I thought he deserved more playing time.

The point is that if he is the reason we get Diallo, that'd be HUGE.

 

[Fishy]

It's a bad comparison by any metric.

 

[Stainmaster]

Who said anything about him not being a good recruit?? I was a FAN of Rock's! I thought he deserved more playing time.

The point is that if he is the reason we get Diallo, that'd be HUGE.

Diarra is much better than Lubin. Lubin never sniffed a 4-star rating. Despite what family members claimed, none of the major recruiting websites listed him as having any other concrete DI offers. Lubin's hustle and tenacity was appreciated, but to try and argue that he was a UConn-level talent is ludicrous. He's in the Big West Conference now and that is a much better fit for him.

And the "using Diarra to get Diallo" trope is bullspit. Diarra would deserve a scholarship here just as much if he played AAU/prep ball on different squads. Has it occurred to you that maybe KO thinks that Diarra is on board because his play can help the team, not to get a teammate to commit?

 

[Stainmaster]

Note on the term "highly-regarded": just because you see that one guy on Courant.com talk crap about Diarra doesn't mean he isn't highly regarded.

 

[KembaStepback]

I don't go on Courant.com so no clue what you're talking about.

I just feel like Rock would have been a contributing player by his senior year. I think Diarra will be better than that.

However a player who is barely a top 150 composite does not quality as "highly regarded"

 

[tcf15]

I don't go on Courant.com. So no idea what you're talking about.

I still don't get how you all infer so much from one comment. I'm not saying Diarra is worse than Rock by any means...but a 147 composite does not qualify as "highly regarded"

However - Lubin was a young player who had flashes of being a worthwhile player. Do I think he would have been a useful player by the time he's a senior? The answer is yes.

There's not much more to infer when Player Y is referred as "Player X 2.0", which basically means Player Y will be another iteration of Player X. If you meant something completely different, then it was just a poor choice of words.

As for highly regarded, it's tough to say that about a guy who commits prior to the July live periods, which is when under the radar prospects who haven't committed yet break through. Mamadou is putting up numbers during the live periods that would garner a lot of interest from decent programs.

 

[Tenspro2002]

So Diarra seems like Rock 2.0. Not exactly highly regarded, but will be effective as a rebounder/garbage man.

His biggest influence will be if he convinces Diallo to come.

Let's break this down one at a time.

"Diarra seems like Rock 2.0" -- Maybe in terms of height and likely position; other than that, not really. They might have similar inclinations on the court (rebounding, being a wide-body presence), but Diarra should do them much better.

"Not exactly highly regarded" -- Only if you lump together everyone outside the Top 100 as "not highly regarded". Diarra will probably end up in the 100-150 range. Lubin was what, maybe 300. That's the difference between a bench-player on a high-major team and a low-major talent. Lubin was a major, major reach for a program at our level. It was true at the time we got him, and it was true up until he decided to leave.

"But will be effective as a rebounder/garbage man" -- True in the sense that Diarra will likely accomplish these things. Lubin never did, and never would have at this level.

"His biggest influence will be if he convinces Diallo to come" -- Possibly, but that's getting way ahead of ourselves.

 

[KembaStepback]

There's not much more to infer when Player Y is referred as "Player X 2.0", which basically means Player Y will be another iteration of Player X. If you meant something completely different, then it was just a poor choice of words.

As for highly regarded, it's tough to say that about a guy who commits prior to the July live periods, which is when under the radar prospects who haven't committed yet break through. Mamadou is putting up numbers during the live periods that would garner a lot of interest from decent programs.

Fair point. Diarra seems like he's gaining momentum. He probably will end up higher than where he is now.

 

[tcf15]

 

[CardiacAndre7]

With the performances he's put up this summer he deserves to be higher ranked than what rivals and 247 have him at, probably than what espn has him at as well

 

[Rocktheworld]

How much did they say he weighs?

Kid's already built like Purvis... on a 6'8 frame

 

[CardiacAndre7]

How much did they say he weighs?

Kid's already built like Purvis... on a 6'8 frame

I think he weighs 230

 

[tcf15]

 

[JimHurley]

I'm excited for the future front court of Diarra and Enoch.

 

[tcf15]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/36628/trevor-mbakwe

 

[scotty0330]

Every analyst has said same thing about this kid relentless motor, energy guy, hard worker. Not every kid has to be nba material...I think there is a lot to work with and the stats this kid puts up there is no reason to believe he can not grow into a solid player for uconn. Lubin was an out of left field recruit from the second he committed. Don't think there is any comparison

 

[Yonick]

From his performances in every event he's participated in, he should be a top 60 recruit.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I love hearing "nasty and mean", "motor", "toughness". Our bigs have been lacking those things for quite some time.

 

[Matrim55]

From his performances in every event he's participated in, he should be a top 60 recruit.

Who cares what his number is? I'm just glad we're getting a guy who'll come in and beat the hell out of opposing bigs underneath.